


Aervora and the Warrior of Love

by TheJadedFeather



Series: Finalverse Chronicles [2]
Category: Cutie Honey, DC Comics, Kamen Rider, Marvel Comics
Genre: F/F, Finalverse, Pretty much a date, light shipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 19:03:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10519911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheJadedFeather/pseuds/TheJadedFeather
Summary: Companion story to Aervora Meets the Sentinels.Aervora goes on a date with a very special woman. But she doesn't realize it until after she's home.





	

Aervora strode up to Captain Marvel's office, her footsteps silent against the carpeted floors of Stark Tower. It had been two weeks since she had been found by the Sentinels, and after a night ruminating on their kindness, decided enough was enough and that she should repay their charity, however which way they'd like. She knocked on the door and waited.

"Come in."

Aervora opened the door, entering the room and closing the door behind her; the office was Spartan in both design and cleanliness, which partially intimidated her. However, Aeva stuck to her guns and spoke, "Captain Marvel. I'm hope I'm not disturbing you, but I have a request to make.”

Carol Danvers, codename Captain Marvel, was dressed more casually than Aervora had yet seen her. The flamboyant uniform was absent, and in it's place; a plain white business shirt and beige pants. The woman was at her desk, and was had finished signing a document before glancing up at her visitor, "Good afternoon Aervora. Do you prefer Stardust?" she waved her hand at the chars in front of her desk, "Sit. What can I do for you today?"

With that, she took another document from a pile, looked at it as if it had been rude to her, and starting scribbling something on it.

"Aervora is fine," Aeva replied as she took a seat. "I was wondering if you were willing to give me an assignment. Luthor is still working on the trans dimensional portal, and it's been a couple weeks... I want to help, however I can."

"Help with what? I'm sure we can find a job for you around the Tower, if that's what you mean," she said, plucking yet another document from the pile.

"Actually no, it isn't. I mean a Sentinel assignment," Aervora tentatively corrected. She then pushed, "I'm an Avenger so, where I'm from, it means I help people when they are need. While there are far more Sentinels here than Avengers back home, I do know every hand counts. And therefore, I'd like to help."

Captain Marvel finished signing the document in front of her, the last in the pile, and forcefully placed in in the pile of finished documents, a pleased look on her face, "Very well. You have your wish," and with that, she reached into her desk, pulled out a large, ancient looking book, and stood up, motioning the woman opposite her to do the same.

Aervora stood, confused.  
Captain Marvel held the book up, so that it was parallel to the floor, "Place your left hand on the book. Yes, like that. Now hold you right hand up. Yes yes. Now repeat after me: 'I, Aervora Stark of the Ever Vigilant Sentinels of All the Earth, do solemnly swear to preserve Truth, Justice, Order, and the lives of all living things.' Very good. No, you can stop repeating after me. Now," at this, placed the book on the desk, and picked up a pen, and the pile of papers she had just finished signing, "sign here, here, here, not there, here, initial here, hero name there, and then sign again here."

Aervora, slightly dazed, did as she was told.

Captain Marvel then took the documents, and placed them in a basket marked 'She-Hulk,' after which they promptly disappeared.

Aervora blinked.

"Welcome to the Sentinels, Sentinel Stardust," Danvers exclaimed, shaking the woman's hand in a single, firm shake.

Aervora blinked again, "That... that was it? I thought... I don't know... I thought the process would take longer."

Danvers smiled, "Superman came to me the day you arrived and instructed me to let you join if you asked. That man must have a lot of faith in you."

Aervora's eyes widened at the statement, her ears tilting up in surprise. "Y-yes," Aeva stammered out, her ears flicking, as she still reeled from the efficient process, and Danvers stating Superman trusted her. Had trusted her, before they ever met.

Then something clinked in her mind, "Captain, those papers you were working on... those were for me. How did you know I was coming here? I didn't tell anyone about it."

The Captain shrugged, "Superman told me that too. Just under an hour ago. I assume he got it from Megan, who got it from you. Well, your mind, anyway."

Aeva's ears flickered, as her lips were drawn tightly into a small frown. "R-right, of course," Aervora forced out, and took a calming breath. She then smiled and joked, "That must certainly help with the paperwork."

"You have no idea. It also helps with the distribution of assignments."

With that, the Captain stepped from behind her desk, strode across the room, and opened the door and, motioning for Aervora to follow, stepped into the hallway, walking at a brisk pace.

They came across an elevator, and stepped inside, where the Captain pressed the button of the thirteenth floor; Luthor's office.

"Your first assignment is a simple one: You will be teleported to our office in Tokyo, where you will be given a destination to fly to. There, you will meet a local hero under the codename Cutie Honey. She will give you further details when you arrive. Any questions?"

The elevator door opened, and the two women stepped out to find Luthor's floor; which looked exactly how you would imagine the office of an eccentric (and questionably sane) scientist of near unrivaled brilliance.

"Who's Cutie Honey?" Aervora asked. She had only been to Japan once, and it was on vacation with Toni and Rhodey. She still amusingly remembered how pale Rhodey went when Toni merely referenced a condiment called wasabi.

"A Japanese hero," she repeated as they made their way to the center of the floor, "And the most popular and influential hero Japan's had since the Seventies. She's an android, an artificial lifeform I should say, who's capable of transforming the matter of her body in specific ways to adapt to specific situations. When you meet her, she will either be in civilian clothes and have long, blonde hair, or she will be in her suit, and have short, pink-red hair. But don't worry about missing her. She knows what you look like, and is expecting you."

"Very well." Aervora then looked around, with Luthor no where in sight. "Luthor! Are you down here?" she called out.

Suddenly, a voice came from above, "Watch out below!”

The two barely had time to jump back when Luthor, in his sleek, golden armor, landed on the floor with a loud clank. Despite the sound, the landing was graceful enough, and he was upright in less than a second, "What can I do for you, ladies?" he said, smiling pleasantly, if a tad smugly, which was his default smile.

"What are you even doing? Having a contest with Tony on who's more of an audacious lander?" Aervora quipped, amused at the sudden landing.

Luthor rubbed his chin, as if honestly considering the question, "While that is not an official contest, I'm sure Stark would love to organize a Sentinel wide event. Landing is, after all, an important part of any flying hero's repertoire!"

Aervora raised a brow in amusement as she laughed, "Of course, of course." She then nodded to Carol's direction. "Danvers has placed me on assignment in Tokyo. Mind giving me a hand getting there?”

Luthor nodded, "Of course. Please step this way," he said, gesturing to a nearby section of floor. It was a green circle, about fifteen feet in diameter, and was elevated half a foot off the ground. Wires jotted out from the base of the circle at regular intervals, and looped around to connect to a single monitor, by which stood Luthor now.

Aervora hopped on the circle, and positioned herself in the middle.

Luthor glanced up from the monitor, "Fifteen minutes will pass in real time, but for you, the transition will be instantaneous. You won't notice a lapse in time. If you have your mission details, I can send you immediately."

Aervora looked at Captain Marvel, "Anything else I should know?"

The Captain shook her head.

"Very well," said Luthor, "Three, two, one, and go!" and he pressed a button.

Aervora blinked.

Or at least, she thought she did...

In any case, when she next opened here eyes, she was in a plain office, and a youngish man, obviously Japanese, in a black suit was standing in front of her.

He held out his hand, "Sentinel Stardust?" he asked in accented English, and she shook his hand, "I am Agent Makamura of SHIELD. I have been instructed to give you this," he held out a Manila folder, offering it to her.

She thanked Makamura and took the folder, opening it. Inside, she saw the specifics of her destination and how to get there. After taking a moment to memorize it, she returned it to the agent, who promptly walked over to a monster of a machine, and shredded the folder.

"Thank you for your assistance," she said, feelings some of the old authority she felt as an Avenger return to her, "I believe I can see myself out," she was sure that her words did not offend the man. His soul was like warm steel.

The man nodded, and went back to his duties.

She let herself out of the building, breathing in the early morning air of Tokyo. The sun was just breaking and, noting where she was, she turned in the direction of her destination. After taking a few steps back, she ran... and flew.

To be technical, it wasn't really flying - more like very long jumping, as she carefully manipulated the gravitational fields affecting her body with the gravity crystal embedded within the starburst symbol of her chest, which let her soar through the sky with ease. The crystal's effects were even minute enough that she could increase or decrease the gravity of a finger relative to another.

She relaxed into the glide, using her whips like Spider-Man's webs to turn direction and add momentum to her flying. Sadly, before she could truly enjoy the trip, she was already at her destination; a Japanese mall.

She landed lightly a few dozen feet from the main entrance of the building. Her presence got her a few seconds of mildly surprised looks, but overall, the citizens of Tokyo had seen more impressive sights than a purple clad flying space elf. and continued along their way. Aervora stared at the colorful building. What kind of hero would meet her here? Among so many people? Was this Honey person under cover? Suddenly feeling very out of place in her uniform, Aervora shook the questions out of her head, and started towards the building's entrance.

The inside of the mall was more crowded than the outside lead her to believe, and she discovered that she had no reason to worry about her suit: The mall, for whatever reason, was packed with cosplayers.

She didn't recognize most of the costumes, but she knew the look and understood the concept because the Toni of her world explained it to her what felt like a lifetime ago, when Aervora stared, confused, at a news story broadcasted from a convention of sorts. And now, she appeared to be in the midst of a similar event, although she did not know what that event might be. The costumes worn were both elaborate and imaginative, and ranged from superheroes, monsters, knights, dragons, and absurdly over the top ninjas. The section of the mall she had entered opened up to a large food court with a glass roof. The places was packed with people, but as she got further away from the narrow entrance, there seemed to be a bit more breathing room. As she was looking around for this Honey person, two women, girls, really, dressed in unfamiliar attire, came up to her and squealed happily at her, talking in rapid fire Japanese in her direction.

Aervora was dazed. There were so many sights, so many smells, and so many souls. She was having trouble focusing on one thing at a time, and she didn't understand Japanese in the slightest. Then she saw the girls gesture at her, and it occurred to her: they were complimenting her uniform, and her, for all they knew, prosthetic ears.

She opened her mouth to say... something, when she heard a voice call out to her from nearby, "Stardust!"

She turned in the direction of the voice.

Aervora had little interest in the fair sex (or sex in general), but even she had to acknowledge the beauty of the creature before her. The woman was of average height, with flawless pale skin, and a generous figure, with long, flowing black hair and huge bright blue eyes. She wore a nurse's outfit that looked as if it were taken out of a WWII drama. Objectively speaking, there was nothing outstanding about her. But there was... something... something that stood out in a meaningful way that attracted Aervora to her.

But there was something else that kept Aervora from loosing herself in those eyes. Something was wrong with this woman on a fundamental level. She didn't have a soul. Then she remembered what the Captain had said.

Artificial lifeform.

Android.

This was Cutie Honey.

She, slightly shaken from the overload of sensory input and from seeing her contact, pried the pawing girls off of her, and made her way towards Honey, who was sitting at a table for two in the main section of the food court. Aervora's ears were flitting nervously, and she resisted the temptation to hold them still.

She walked up to the android and immediately held her hand out to shake. "You must be Cutie Honey. Nice to meet you." Aeva introduced with a friendly smile. Well, as friendly as she could make it with large, sharp canines.

"Oh please, just call me Honey!" the faux- nurse said brightly, and shook the extended hand. And then promptly pulled the woman in for a strong, warm hug, which ended almost instantly, "And you must be Aervora! I am so exited to be working with you! Meeting a new Sentinel is always so much fun! Sit down, sit down. We have so much to talk about!"

The woman might as well have been greeting an old friend for all the genuine warmth she displayed.

Aervora's ears tilted up in attention as she sat down at the nearest table, basking in the android's positive nature. She reminded her of Toni, the Iron Queen of her universe, with her attracting, almost magnetic personality. And they say synthetics don't have personalities, she internally scoffed.

Honey reached down and pulled several shopping bags from under the table, and placed them between Aervora and herself, obscuring Aervora's vision of the woman, "You know," said Honey as she rummaged through the bags, "I was surprised when Superman called me and offered backup for this little venture of mine. But support is always nice when civilians are involved. Thought he'd be sending Wally or Pietro for this. I'm glad he didn't though," she reached her head around and winked at the other woman, "You're cuter than either of them!"

Aervora blushed, as her ears fluttered bashfully. This was as close to human romance as she could possible get, considering whenever a human tried to flirt with her, the dynamic was completely ruined due to her empathic senses. This, however - this was... interesting, to say the least.

"Thank you," Aervora replied. "However, why would you think he'd be sending Wally or Pietro? Do you need a speedster for this assignment?" Aervora then asked with worry.

Honey seemed to find the bag she was looking for and returned the rest to the floor, "Not especially. But both of them are faster than that teleporter, so neither would be away from their other duties for long."

She reached into the pink bag and pulled out a beautiful, rainbow clad scarf, and a compass-like device. After wrapping the scarf around her neck, she handed the device to Aervora, "You better hold on to this. My cybernetics make in unreliable when I'm holding it."

She took the compass, which had been jerking to and fro. After a short moment, it finally righted itself. Aeva looked back at Honey. "Alright, so we have a compass... what's the scarf for?"

"That isn't any ordinary compass. It tracks cyborgs of a particular type, like the terrorist we're hunting today. And the scarf," her voice became more excited, and she pulled out a small mirror to appraise herself with, "is because it makes me look amazing! Some people might say that it doesn't go with the nurse getup, but I make it work! What do you think?"

Aervora gave a slightly chiding smile, but still enjoyed Honey's confidence. "I think it looks amazing," Aervora honestly replied. Her expression then became more serious. "What kind of terrorists are we talking about here though? Or they organized? What are their goals?"

All warmth and happiness drained from Honey's face, "Panther Claw. A group of thieves and murderers. They started out as a gang of thieves. But ever since they got ahold of cyborg technology, they've been getting bolder, and more dangerous. Now, they're making a name for themselves through acts of terrorism. Mostly in Japan."

Aervora frowned, her ears tense, and flat against her head, "Why the escalation? If they were thieves, if seems odd that they would resort to senseless death for it's own sake."

Honey shook her head, her frown deepening slightly, "I don't know. I'm still looking into it. It's possible that this is a new organization that adopted the name. Or maybe there was a change of management. Anyway, I got a tip from a friend that one of their agents, a nasty piece of work called Fire Claw, would torch this mall, apparently to kill a politician's daughter, and to kill as many bystanders as possible while doing so."

Aervora was stunned. No matter how many times she was exposed to it, she never quite got used to the evil that infected people. "We have to find the girl before it's too late!" she exclaimed, raising from her chair and looking around.

Honey grabbed her hand, and Aervora met her eyes. There was empathy in those eyes, as well as a reassuring quality that instantly calmed her. "Don't worry. I've already delivered her to the proper authorities. She's not in danger. Please sit down," she pleaded.

Aeva stood for a second longer, and then eased back down, "Shouldn't we evacuated the mall before this Fire Claw gets here?"

Honey sighed, "She'd only choose another target out of spite. And if she's already here," she glanced at the compass, which was spinning ceaselessly, "which I don't think she is, then evacuating the mall would only spook her, and she'd torch the place anyway. And sprinklers don't exactly work on her."

Aervora felt slightly helpless, "Then what do we do?"

"Relax," said Honey, her voice light now, "It's actually pretty simple: Panther Claw wants a particular piece of tech that's inside of me at the moment, and that takes priority over all for them. When Fire Claw shows up, she'll smell me, and start hunting me specifically. She'll want to get close, and we'll be able to tell how close with this," she tapped the compass, "And when she gets close enough, we'll make our way outside, away from other people, and fight her there. She's not especially strong, so we'll have no problem with her."

"That seems," Aervora hesitated, "risky."

Honey nodded, "Yeah."

They were silent for a moment.

"Well," chirped Honey, more upbeat and confident than she was a moment ago, "in any case, it could be hours before they show up. But I don't think it would be a good idea to wonder around too much. This spot is more or less at the center of the food court. And it's probably not a good idea to eat right before a fight. So," she beamed at Aervora, "What do you want to talk about?"

Aervora opened her mouth, slightly startled by the change in subject, and couldn't think of anything at first. Then she thought of a question she did have, "Are you a Sentinel? I don't think I've seen you around Stark's tower or Babylon Garden."

The woman giggled. "’fraid not I'm no Sentinel. I'm just Honey!" she said, smiling brightly, her big blue eyes twinkling.

"Really?" Aervora was surprised, "I figured you would be, since we're working together. And since you seem to know Superman."

Honey laughed, "Everyone knows Kal! I think he's made the effort to meet every hero worth a damn." She sighed, not unhappily, and leaned back in her seat, "But no. Not a Sentinel. He offered me a place in the organization, but I refused."

"Why?," Aervora asked, perplexed. The thought crossed her mind that this woman could be lying through her teeth, and she wouldn't know. But she dismissed the notion. She doubted a person like Honey was even capable of lying.

Honey stared at her for a moment, a sad look on her face, "I'm not just a superhero in this country. I'm also an advocate for women's rights and the rights of victims of sexual assault. As well as being the spokesperson for a few organizations. I'm in the spotlight more than most other heroes in this country. And the Sentinels are not popular with Japan."

"Why on Earth would that be?"

Honey waved a hand in Aervora's general direction, "Old fears, new politics. Long story. I'm sure one of the Sentinels can fill you in. The important thing here is that the Sentinels are unpopular in this country. And if I were to officially join them, I would loose favor with a lot of people, and the work I've done could be undone."

Aervora inclined her head, acknowledging the situation, "I'm sorry."

Honey smiled, "Don't be. I'm hardly alone here. I have a team of my own after all!"

Aervora's eye's widened, "Really?"

"Oh yeah. It's only nine of us, but we're as tough as it comes! They'd be here now, but they're in space at the moment fighting off some invasion of one if Jupiter's moons."

The other woman shook her head, "Isn't it always the way? You make some buddies, and the next thing you know, they're in space!"

Honey nodded firmly, a mock smile on her face, "Some people just have no manners!"

They shared a laugh.

They shared a moment of comfortable silence, and then Honey leaned in, resting her elbows on the table, "What about you? Did you have a team, or some friend's before throwing your lot in with the Sentinels?"

Aervora hesitated, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically fragile. "Yes," she said, stretching the word out, "Yes," she said again, more firmly, "I did have a team, and they were my family. I love them very much," she swallowed, "I'm from a universe parallel to this one. The Sentinels took me in, and I'm very thankful, but..."

She swallowed again, "But I miss them very much. As wonderful as this world is, there is nothing I want more than to see my family again."

Again, there was silence.

"I'm sorry," Honey said in a soft voice, "A that must be horrible for you. But I know you'll see your family again."

Aervora nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak, and not quite meeting Honey's eyes, but thankful for the woman's words.  
Suddenly, Honey's hand clasped hers with more force than was necessary, and before Aervora could do anything more than freeze in shock at the unexpected touch, Honey spoke in a fast, quiet voice, "Look at me. Don't look around us. Just look at me."

She did, and their faces were only a foot apart. Honey had a cold, hard look on her face, "The compass is active. They're about a eighty meters behind and to the left of me. Don't look. They'll be disguised anyway.”

Aervora gave the slightest of nods, all thoughts of her recent emotions gone, and her ears alert, "What do you want to do?"

"Wait, for now. The needle will flash red faster the closer they are to us. When they're within ten feet, it will be a solid bright red."

Aervora darted her eyes downwards for five seconds. The needle only flashed red once during that time.

"Remember the plan, and look at me. I will let you know when to move," Honey assured her.

Aervora nodded.

The seconds trickles by.

They could almost hear the tic, toc of the clock.

Aervora resisted the temptation to look around her.

She fixed her gaze on the bright blue eyes in front of her.

Minutes past.

Those eyes, she realized, look like Steve's.

Another minute. There was a knot of anticipation in the pit of Aervora's stomach.

She risked a look at the compass. It was blinking much faster now.

Another minute.

Honey looked down, "Something's wrong."

Aervora looked down. The needle wasn't blinking much faster than it was a moment ago.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"She's stopped dead stopped in her tracks. She must suspect a trap. We need to make her think it isn't."

Aervora swallowed again, her mouth dry, "How do we do that?"

Honey was silent for half a second, then her head jerked back up, "Kiss me," she said flatly.

Aervora was stunned, and did not know how to breath for a moment.

Honey did not wait. She leaned forward, grabbed the base of Aeva's neck, pulled her forward, and their lips met in a gentle kiss.

When she looked back on this moment, Aervora would realize that it was nothing more than a ploy to make their enemy more relaxed. But in that moment, her higher brain functions ceased to function. She had never been interested in romance. And the thought of kissing anyone, especially another woman, always left a bad taste in her mouth. It was hard to be physically attracted to a person when their soul was laid bare before her.

But with Honey, it was different. There was something there that Aervora had very rarely felt. She wasn't sure what it was, and she wasn't sure if she liked it.

But she did know that Honey's lips were very, very soft.

They soon broke apart, and Aervora was vaguely surprised to find that they were standing.

"I," her voice was slightly husky, and she cleared her throat, "I don't... I'm not into... into women," she said, almost apologetically.

There was an expression on Honey's dace that she didn't recognize. Regret? Sadness? Relief? Chagrin?

"That's alright," she said, "I'm not really a woman."

She started walking at a casual pace, pulling Aervora along by her hand, grabbing the compass from the table, "Come on. We need to get out of here. Things are about to get messy. I think there's two of them."

Aervora steeled herself and nodded, letting Cutie Honey lead her through the bustling crowds.

She strained ears, trying to pick apart the various sounds she heard. But her efforts were fruitless; there was just too much to process. Too many people to know if any were following them without looking behind her, which she knew not to do.

Meanwhile, Honey, still leading her through the crowds towards the door, kept her eyes fixed on the level compass in front of her. Aeva couldn't see the needle, but she could feel Honey's iron grip on her write tighten and her pace quicken. It wasn't hard for Aeva to figure out that their pursuers, still faceless in her mind, were gaining on them, so she stared to take longer, faster strides.

They were close to the exit now. Thirty feet. If they could lure their enemies outside, and away from the people, this would be a piece of cake.

Twenty feet. Honey was moving faster now. Aeva heard the sounds of running feet behind her.

Fifteen feet.

They were running now.

Ten feet.

Almost there.

They were at the door!

Aervora suddenly felt a hand grab her leg, roughly pulling her back! But Honey kept ahold of her, and out of instinct, Aervora kicked her other leg back in a wild direction, feeling it collide with what felt like a face. In the back of her mind, Aeva registered a satisfying crunch!

And they were in the open air!

Honey jumped twenty feet ahead, pulling Aeva along with her, and they landed easily, spinning around to face their attackers.

Two women stood across from them, dressed in almost business like attire. One was tall and had long blond hair, while the other was short and a brunette, sporting a nasty broken nose oozing with blood; and both looked pissed.

"You bitch!" the brunette curse at Aervora, before screeching, "You marred my beautiful face!"

"Really, I thought I straightened your nose out!" Aervora crowed back. The crystal in her chest hummed softly as her heart rate increased; she was already raring to go.

The blonde woman ignored the chatter, and had her eyes set on Honey, a cold even smile on her face, "Honey Kisaragi. It's been a long time."

Honey stared back with a smirk, but her eyes told a story of the deepest loathing and disgust. Her body was tense, and she was slightly crouched, as if she was ready to jump at the blonde woman. "Fire Claw," she almost spit out. Her head turned to the few lingering people, and shouted something in Japanese, which caused all remaining civilians to flee in terror.

Fire Claw's arm widened, and she reached inside of her jacket. "Bat Claw," she called to the other woman, who hastily reached for her jacket as well, her ugly, hateful face never leaving Aervora's.

"Now!" shouted Honey to Aeva, who jumped towards Bat Claw, the anti gravitational crystal in her chest speeding her along. Behind her, Honey shouted something she could not hear. She was already too late! Both of the women had slammed their fisted to their bodies with inhuman speed, and instantly, their appearances morphed in disgusting ways, and green liquid sprayed from their bodies, and Aeva darted to the side, and was transfixed by what she saw next.

In the place of the two women, stood monsters. One a hulking mass of red fur, with the face of a horribly deformed cat. The other was sleeker, smaller, and all the more ugly for the bat's head that chirped at her.

Aervora hissed, baring her fangs in return, as she brought out her whips to snap back menacingly. "And just when I thought you were ugly before!"

At that, the bat creature snarled, and jumped in the air, diving at Aervora, who had just managed to zig zag into the air, avoiding the attack. Now she was above the monster, and had a half a second to process the scene. In that half a second, she registered the fact that there was...

Aervora blinked.

A figure in white armor of an unfamiliar design, but of an unmistakably feminine shape, was... punching Fire Claw.

Honey?

Then she noticed the monstrosity of a bat that was mere feet away from biting off her legs.

Aervora spread her legs wide as the she-bat passed through, her claws and fangs missing by mere centimeters. Then, manipulating the gravitational fields affecting certain parts of her body, she twisted in the air and caught the monster, wrapping her tightly with her whips.

The she-bat roared and tried to fly higher, but Aervora then increased the gravity affecting her body suddenly before releasing it, making her weightless before she hit the ground, and using the momentum from the fall to swing and smash the monster into the ground.

The monster attempted to stand, but Aervora growled, "I don't think so," as she turned the whip's electric conduction system on, electrifying the she-bat where she laid as she screamed in agony.

To her right, she felt a wave of heat blast her side, and she looked in the direction of the rise in temperature. She saw the other monster, Fire Claw, shoot jets of flame out of her palms and eyes in every direction, clearly aiming for a red, white and blue target that was zipping around her at incredible speeds. As Aeva watched, the blur stopped on the far side of the parking lot, and the figure was revealed to be a woman in... a track suit?

Fire Claw turned so that she was facing the figure, and her back was to Aervora. The figure looked directly into Aeva's eyes and made a gesture with her head.

Aeva, sure that this was still Honey, somehow changed from the Knight's armor she had worn moments before, understood the woman's meaning, and swung the still twitching she-bat around in the air, and flung her towards Fire Claw, who was readying another volley of fire to launch at Honey.

Instinct must have kicked in for the scarlet monster, for she spun around, and grabbed the flying bat's throat, and squeezed without thinking, instantly crushing the smaller monster's windpipe instantly.

Aervora grimaced. While she by no means felt sorry for the bat woman, seeing her supposed teammate kill her without a second thought disgusted her; or at least, that's what Aervora thought initially.

As it turns out, Fire Claw was in complete shock, staring in disbelief at her own claws crushing her now dead teammate. Roaring with frustration, and perhaps a touch of anguish, she launched the now dead monster a hundred of yards away, before then staring down Aervora with a nasty snarl. "This is your fault!" she roared, before lunging at Aervora.

Aervora dodged away, twisted to snap her whips, now in their serrated mode, to slash across the enraged creature's flesh. She screeched in pain, threw fire blindly.

Aervora continued her aggravating assault, always keeping her distance while dodging the shoddily thrown fire.

And suddenly, so fast that she almost didn't register the action, Honey, again in her white, feminine armor, entered her field of vision; Sailing through the air in like a metal bird, her fist connected with the jawline of Fire Claw with enough force to send the monster flying thirty feet in through the air, smashing against the concrete wall of the mall, and falling flat on her face, unmoving.

Honey landed lightly on her feet, her back facing Aervora, and Aervora herself ran to meet her.

Honey turned to face her, and though her helmet obscured most of her face, Aeva could see a small smirk on her read lips. Aeva was almost speechless, "What exactly are you?" It was the first question that came to her mind.

Before Honey could answer, Fire Claw's body stirred, and the monster staggered to her feet. Aervora started forward, readying her whips, but Honey stopped her with a gesture.

"I'm a lot of things, when I need to be."

The monster faced them, murderous intent in her eyes.

Honey's smile widened, "Sometimes, I'm a cosplaying Nurse with a rainbow scarf."

Fire Claw roared in rage, charging at the women.

Honey took a singe step forward, "Other times, I'm a record breaking Olympic track star."

The two figures were almost upon her, "And sometimes, I'm a noble Knight in gleaming white armor. But the truth is!"

Fire Claw went to tackled Honey, but the woman jumped backwards, and soared fifty feet in the air, a bright light radiating from her body.

"Hoooonnneeeeeyy!" she screamed with all the power of her voice, and the light shone ever brighter.

"FLAAAAAAAAASH!!!"

Aeva gasped.

The light turned super nova, but somehow, Aervora could still see Honey's body. The armor exploded off of her, leaving her body as bare as the day she was born, and almost immediately, new clothes formed around her, and her hair changed color, and a rapier materialized out of thin air.

Honey landed on the ground.

And Aervora marveled at Honey's new form; it was a beautiful full body suit, with a slit opening in the chest area that tastefully displayed part of her cleavage. The torso was a bright scarlet, tapering down to her navel in a sharp V, and rest of the one-piece outfit was a rich brown. Honey also sported white opera length gloves, which flared out slightly at the ends, and her knee high boots imitated the style and color. Finally, Honey's hair was now a wild pixie cute, and colored bright magenta.

Honey stared at the wary monster, a wild smile on her lips, and fiery anger in her eyes. She raised her sword to eye level, "I am the Warrior of Love, Cutie Honey!"

And she charged at the monster. Without even giving her time to react, Cutie Honey slashed at the monster with savage anger that shocked Aeva. Blood splashed, and after a full minute of gorey swordplay, the monster staggered backwards, staring at Honey dumbly.

And Honey, after single second, stabbed the monster in the breast, sinking the sword into the hilt, and their faces were inches way from each other.

Words passed between them that Aervora could not hear.

Finally, Honey withdrew her sword, and the monster fell, bleeding on the ground.

Aervora ran to her comrade, "What did you do?" she muttered, stunned at the display.

Honey wiped the sword on her covered leg, cleansing the blade of the monster's black blood, "She's still alive. Probably the other one as well."

Aeva glanced over at the fallen bat monster, who she was surprised to find had returned to her original human form, albeit with no clothes, "Are you sure?”

"Of course," Honey said lightly, "It would take a lot more than a throatache or a few paper cuts to put a Panther Claw cyborg down," at this, Honey arched her back, stretching, "Oh boy, it's been a few weeks since I went all out like that!"

Aervora laughed dispute herself, "Well, that's alright then," she glanced down at the bleeding Fire Claw, and sure enough, her cuts were slowly mending, and her fur was receding, "What did you two say to each other?"

Honey softly kicked the unconscious woman, "I just reminded her of the people she murdered, and she spit in my face. She's kind of a bitch."

Something in Honey's tone suggested that she wasn't being entirely honest, but Aervora let it be. Some things were too important or too personal to share with an almost complete stranger.

"What happens now?" she instead asked.

Honey considered, "The police show up, take these two into custody, try to arrest me, fail, I end up accompanying them to the police station, I deal with sexist comments, I question the suspects, the suspects don't answer, I get chewed out by the commissioner, and then I go home to my wife. You know," she finished, "the usual."

"Sounds like you've got it down to a schedule," Aervora remarked with a wry expression. Her expression then became more serious and confused, as her brows furrowed and her ears tilted down. "What do you mean by arrest you though? And chewed out by the commissioner? You're one of the most popular heroes in Japan, I don't understand."

Honey stretched some more, walked a few paces away from Fire Claw, and sat on the concrete ground, and stared lazily at the small gathering of people who were recording them with their phones, "It's the usual annoyances. Cops don't like superheroes, and Japan's cops like me even less. I'd be in a prison right now if the higher ups and public didn't like me, or, for that matter, if any prison could hold me."

Aervora's ears were flat against her head, and she joined Honey on the ground, crossing her legs. "That's repugnant! Heroes and police should work with each other!" she said.

Honey shrugged, looking oddly sleepy, "It's just how the world is. The police in this country only really like Kuuga and G3. And that’s just because those two might as well be police themselves. s getting better though. Rome wasn't rebuilt in a day."

They were silent for a moment. "So you have a wife? That's wonderful," she said with the up most sincerity, "someone like you needs someone to go home to. What's she like?"

Honey's face lit up, looking happy at the new subject, "She is amazing! The most wonderful and beautiful woman I've ever met!"

Aeva smirked, "Coming from you, that's saying something."

Honey laughed. "Oh you!" she giggled, playfully pushing her away.

"What does she do?" Aeva asked.

"Librarian," chirped Honey, "She was actually a cop before that. Then," she hesitated, "then a stray bullet caught her spine. She's in a wheelchair now."

Aeva felt horrible for asking the question, "Oh Carom... I'm so sorry. That must be difficult for the both of you."

Honey stared at her sword, "Sometimes. But she's just so positive about it. More often then not, she's taking care of me than I her. I wouldn't trade her for anyone else in the world."

Aervora placed a comforting hand on Honey's shoulder, and they fell into an easy silence, oblivious to the growing number of people thirty feet away from them.

They heard, sirens in the distance.

Honey stood, signing, and helped Aeva to her feet.

"You should get going. I'd hate for you to get caught up in the drama."

"Are you sure?"

Honey waved her sword in a easygoing manner, "Of course. You head out. Be sure to give my love to the Sentinels!"

Aervora nodded, "I'm proud to have met you, Cutie Honey."

Honey smiled her fierce smile, "And I you. Find your home safely, and protect that family of yours."

"I will.”  
And the two clasped hands, and met each other's eyes. Honey's were brown now. Aervora's mind went back to the kiss they shared, and the feelings it caused within her. Then she thought of Honey's wife, and the love the two obviously shared. In another life... maybe...

But Aeva wouldn't trade her life, her family, for anything else in the world. And she had a feeling that Honey felt the same way.

Their hands dropped, and Aeva took to the air, looking back, she saw the shrinking form of Honey smiling up at her, before the distance between them was too great, and she disappeared from Aervora's sight.

The flight to the Sentinel's office, the teleportation, and her debriefing with Captain Marvel (who proclaimed that Aeva had done an excellent job before dismissing her) all seemed to take no time at all. Before she realized it, Aervora was wandering around the halls of Sentinel Tower.

She looked to the nearest door, which had the words CAPTAIN AMERICA engraved on them.

Of course.

After hesitating for a moment, she knocked on the door, and Stephanie's voice came from inside. "Who is it?"

"Stardust," she answered.

"Oh! Come in then," she called enthusiastically, "You don't have to knock, you know!"

"Yeah," Aervora said tiredly, noting Steve always told her the same thing. Stephanie was clad in her usual casual wear: yoga pants and a tee shirt. Aervora met her blue eye's. They were so like her Steve's eyes; so like Honey's had been as well. And also like Steve's, her soul was like a starry night sky, and therefore was a comfort to her.

Stephanie, who was lounging on the floor under a blanket, sat up, a concerned look in here eyes, "What's wrong?"

Aeva hesitated. "I... I think I just went on a date," she quietly stated.

Stephanie's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head, "Oh my god... Do... you want to talk about it?"

The orvunon sighed, "No. Not right now. Can... can I just cuddle with you for a while? I need to relax.”

"Of course!" The woman said, and scooted over on the clean, carpeted floor, making room for her friend under the blankets.

Aeva sighed in relief, and joined Stephanie, wrapping her arms around the woman, and resting her head on her breast, feeling as safe and as comfy as a kitten nestled with it's momma; Aervora even purred with content, and she partially dozed, just trying to enjoy the moment without thinking about her Avengers to much, and that kiss.

It was an hour before either of them spoke.

"Stephanie?"

"Yes, sugar?"

"Can you make me some hot chocolate?"

The blonde woman laughed, and kissed Aervora's brow, "One mug of hot chocolate, coming up!"

The End


End file.
